Citing recent developments and anticipated growth of its Indian market, Belgium-based weaving
machine manufacturer Picanol NV has opened a subsidiary in India to serve its customers in that
country. Picanol India Pvt. Ltd. — headquartered in New Delhi and having branch offices in Mumbai
and Coimbatore — replaces the company’s long-time Indian agent, Engineering & Agencies.

Services offered include: sales of Picanol weaving machinery and spare parts as well as GTP
accessories including Steel Heddle, Burcklé and Te Strake products; in New Delhi, repair of
electronic circuit boards for Picanol weaving machinery; and complete service including
installation, commissioning and trouble-shooting for Picanol weaving machines.

P. Kasiviswanathan heads the Indian operations.

March 11, 2008

Dallas-based Celanese Corp. has opened a technology center in Houston to house the research and
development and technical services groups for its emulsion polymers and polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH)
businesses. The 31,200-square-foot Houston Technology Center (HTC), which includes analytical and
application testing laboratories to enable development of consumer and industrial end products,
joins locations in Frankfurt and Shanghai as part of the businesses’ international technology
network.

“Our investment in the Houston Technology Center underscores the impact that technology and
innovation have on our business, and emphasizes our continued commitment to our North American
customers and the global markets they serve,” said Doug Madden, executive vice president, Celanese.

“Celanese has invested in more than just a new facility and lab equipment,” added Dr. Barry
Snyder, global technology director, Emulsions & PVOH. “We have invested in people with strong
industry knowledge and technical expertise in the fields of paints and coatings, construction,
papers, packaging films, personal care, adhesives and nonwovens, to name a few, who can analyze the
data and translate it into customer solutions.”

The HTC also will provide opportunities for customers to work with the company to develop new
products. “We look forward to inviting customers to the HTC to discuss exciting new opportunities
and projects for 2008 and beyond,” Snyder said.

March 11, 2008

Universal Fibers Inc., a Bristol, Va.-based manufacturer of solution-dyed man-made-fiber carpet
yarn, has opened a new manufacturing facility in Taicang City, China. Taicang Universal Fibers Co.
Ltd. will manufacture products for emerging automotive and commercial flooring markets in the Asia
Pacific region and Australia, and is Universal Fibers’ second manufacturing site in Asia, the other
being located in Thailand.

“We have concentrated on our core competencies,” said Mike Turner, newly appointed general
manager, Asia. “What we have been able to do to fuel our sales growth and international expansion
into Asia is compress our supply chain. We offer customers a better service proposition by getting
closer to the customers.”

Turner; Kevin Gay, director of Asia business development; and Roger Seow, director of sales
for Asia Pacific, will be responsible for expanding the company’s presence in emerging markets.
Simon Xu has been named technical sales engineer, China.

“Our strengths are innovation, commitment to stewardship and high-quality specialty
products,” said Bentley Park, president, Universal Fibers. “Our growth in the automotive flooring
and commercial carpet business can be attributed to the customer embracing our process, which
provides products of greater uniformity and quality.” He added that the demand for high-quality
products has grown substantially in Asian automotive and carpet markets.

In other news, Universal Fibers has launched EarthSmart TechnologySM as a way to define the
company’s focus on environmental stewardship. According to the company, the concept covers
production processes and equipment, waste reduction and conservation, and recycled and recyclable
products including the first post-consumer recycled nylon 6,6 carpet fiber in the market
(See
“Universal
Fibers, InterfaceFLOR Team To Recycle Nylon 6,6,”  July/August 2007,
www.TextileWorld.com); as well as a corporate culture that supports environmental and social
concerns.

“It’s about stewardship through innovation,” Park said. “It’s our technology that really sets
us apart from the competition. One of our first nylon 6,6 fiber products under EarthSmart
Technology has appropriately been named Refresh Fiber™.”

March 11, 2008

Strateline Industries, a Rogers, Ark.-based manufacturer of nonwoven substrates from recycled
materials, has acquired Wagoner, Okla.-based Sustainable Solutions Inc. (SSI), its upstream
supplier of regenerated fiber from textile waste, from Meriturn Partners LLC – an investment firm
with offices in Raleigh, N.C., and San Francisco that specializes in corporate restructurings,
turnarounds and recapitalizations. Meriturn invested in SSI in November 2006 as part of a
management buyout and company restructuring.

The acquisition will enable Strateline to vertically integrate its operations by bringing
SSI’s fiber regeneration capabilities in-house, and expand its sustainable product offerings beyond
nonwovens.

“The transaction provides considerable synergies for booth Strateline and SSI, and the board
felt all parties would benefit from the immediate combination but also from the future prospects,”
said Lee Hansen, a partner with Meriturn and chairman of SSI. “As such, we structured the
transaction so the parties could take part in the combined upside.”

Strateline is purchasing SSI’s assets and assuming unsecured liabilities. Under the terms of
the closing, SSI’s secured lender, Tulsa, Okla.-based Arvest Bank, will be repaid. Equity holders
will receive sale proceeds as well as future royalties.

March 11, 2008

Effective April 15, Wellman Inc., Fort Mill, S.C., will raise its Fortrel® polyester staple fiber
product prices by 4 cents per pound. The company attributes the increase to continuously rising
energy and raw material costs.

March 11, 2008

Effective April 1 or as contracts allow, Dallas-based Celanese Corp. will raise the price of all
polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) grades worldwide. US and Canadian prices will increase by 10 to 20 cents
per pound; Mexican, Central and South American, and Asian prices will increase by $225 to $450 per
ton; and European prices will increase by 150 to 300 euros per ton.

March 11, 2008

The five countries comprising the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement
(CAFTA-DR) have agreed to provide more time for Costa Rica to complete legislative and regulatory
steps required to join the pact. The people of Costa Rica approved CAFTA-DR participation last
October, but the Costa Rican government has not completed all of the steps necessary for full
membership in CAFTA-DR. They now have until October of this year to compete the necessary work. In
announcing the time extension, US Trade Representative Susan C. Schwab said the Bush administration
is committed to ensuring that trading partners take the necessary steps to meet their obligations
and said she will continue to work closely with the Costa Rican government to complete the
implementing measures. Countries already participating in the Central American agreement include
the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

March 4, 2008

As Congress approved a 10-month extension of the Andean Trade Preference Act, US government and
textile and apparel trade officials rallied around the action and saw it as an opportunity to make
its trade benefits permanent. The act was due to expire February 29, but the extension will
continue the benefits until the United States and participating countries can work out arrangements
to avoid the periodic renewals of the past.

In 1991, Congress authorized duty-free benefits for four Andean nations — Colombia, Peru,
Ecuador and Bolivia — and the act was renewed and enhanced in 2002. It was designed to discourage
illegal drug production and trafficking by expanding economic opportunities in the participating
countries.

In order to move toward making the trade preferences permanent, the United States has
negotiated free trade agreements (FTAs) with Peru and Colombia, but the agreement with Colombia is
hung up in Congress. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said the enactment of the legislation is “an
important bridge as we work with Congress to pass the Colombia Free Trade Agreement and as we
implement the Peru Free Trade Agreement.” He added that the act will give American companies
important access to markets and will be a “stabilizing force for democracy and economic progress in
the region.” US Trade Representative Susan C. Schwab said the Peru and Colombia agreements will
provide “unprecedented access to these strong and growing markets.”

The Andean agreement enjoys the strong support of US textile and apparel manufacturers, as
the rules require that apparel products benefiting from the duty-free treatment must contain yarn
and fabric made in the participating countries. US textile manufacturers exported some $200 million
worth of yarn and fabric to the four countries last year. US apparel importers say the agreement
helps provide a wider variety of products at affordable prices for US consumers. Kevin Burke,
president and CEO of the American Apparel & Footwear Association, said that in order to prevent
“the race against the clock,” Congress should complete implementation of the Peru agreement and
pass the Colombia FTA.

March 4, 2008

France-based Freudenberg Evolon’s Evolon® nonwoven fabric was recently awarded the European Centre
for Allergy Research Foundation’s (ECARF’s) seal of quality recognizing the fabric’s ability to
provide a physical layer of protection against dust mite allergies when used in mite-proof
encasements. Freudenberg Evolon is the first company to be awarded the seal for an encasement
application.

Evolon fabric consists of dense, entangled microfilaments that create a compact, protective
layer against microscopic allergen particles, such as dust mite allergens, that abound in pillows,
duvets and mattresses. It is produced without the use of solvents and binders from stable,
environmentally safe raw materials.

“Evolon’s ability to offer a natural and physical barrier that is 100-percent safe,
comfortable and effective makes it the method of mite-proof protection recommended by medical
specialists,” said Guenter Schmitt, market manager, Home & Industrial Furnishings Europe,
Freudenberg Evolon. “As a result, Evolon mite-proof mattress, pillow and duvet encasings bridge the
gap between performance and comfort, representing a significant leap for dust mite allergy
sufferers everywhere.”



March 4, 2008

Effective April 1, Germany-based Freudenberg Nonwovens’ Spunlaid Division North America will raise
prices in North America between 5 and 10 percent, depending on market segment and contract
situation.

The company attributes the increase to a quickening escalation in energy and raw materials
costs.

March 4, 2008